Machine for and method of hardening hat bats



5 Sheets-Sheet H. A. GENEST Filed March 29 Dec. 3, l 929.

MACHINE FOR AND METHOD oF HARDENING HAT BATS O0 O O 4 00 -W @Moz m11 Dec. 3, 1929.

H. A. GENEST 1,738,494

MACHINE FOR AND METHOD 0F HARDENING HAT BATSv 5 shets-shee-t 2 Filed March 29, 1928 351g v I f3 H. A. GENEST MACHINE FOR AND METHOD OF- HARDENING HAT BATS Filed March 29. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet Patented Dec. 3, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EOMER A. GENEST, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES HAT v MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA Application led March 29,1928. Serial No..;'265,653.'

'llhis invention relates to the shrinking of felt articles, for example, bats from which fur or felt hats are made, and it has particular reference to the method of and machine for effecting the hardening operation on hat bats, this operation being the first which is performed after the bat has been removed from'the cone on which it has been formed. While the invention is particularly adapted for use in the hardening operation, it is not limited thereto.

After a bat has been removed from the forming cone, it is given a preliminary manipulation so as to harden it sufficiently to permit it to be handled with safety.

It is and has been the universal practice to carry out the hardening operation manually. 'llhe operator, who has to be a skilled person, superimposes a plurality ofrbats, say twelve; rolls the superimposed bats up into a piece of annel or burlap, and then manipulates the rolled assembly, while in a saturated condition, by rolling it back and forth by hand on a flat surface at varying pressures. This operation is repeated a number of times with the bats indifferent positions. as is well understood by those familiar with the art. This method of procedure is open to many objections, a few of which are the requirement of skilled labor, the non-uniformity of the product. the slowness and expense of the process, and the frequent damage to the hat bats. Various mechanical machines and expedients have been proposed for carrying out the hardening process or step but, so far as I am aware, none of these have proved to be of practical value.

The aim of the present invention is to provide an improved arrangement by means of.

which hat bats and the like may be economically, effectively and correctly hardened preliminary to the felting or shrinking operations which usually require a more severe action. By the use of the present invention, the hat bats may be uniformly hardened without the requirement of skilled labor in a shorter length of time and with the assurance that the hardened bats will work better in the later sizing operations'. A better hat is the final result.

@ther objects'will be in part obvious and in partpointed out more in detail hereinafter. rlhe invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have shown, for illustrative'purposes, one

embodiment which the present invention may f take:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine;

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged View showing, somewhat diagrammatically, the cages and the pressure rolls.

In the accompanying drawings, I' have shown a practical machine in its entirety and in which the improvements of the present invention are incorporated. It is, of course, understood that the various instrumentalities may be supported and operated in any suitable manner. the present disclosure being by way of illustration only. The machine hasy a suitable frame 9 in which are mounted, on parallel aXes, skeleton drums or cages A and -B so spaced as to form, between them, a pocket or seat-adapted to receive the roll of bats to be manipulated. These cages are respectively carried by shafts 10 and 11, and each has a pair of heads 12 connected together, adjacent their peripheries, by longitudinally extending rods 13. These rods, which are preferably round in cross section, are angu- 'larly spaced apart at like distances with the rods of one cage angularly spaced between the rods of the other cage.

About each cage, and supported by the rods thereof, is Aa exible member or apron 14 which is so arranged that it may stretch and slide or slip with respect tothe supporting rods 13. The ends of the aprons are clamped in place by bars 15. By preference,` the aprons are provided on their peripheries with Patent No. 1,533,351. The cages, with the belts thereon, are rapidly rotated in the same direction as is hereinafter described more in detail.

Pressure rolls 20 and 21 are provided for exerting pressure upon the roll of bats and are so supported and arranged as to prevent the roll of bats from working out of place between the cages. These rolls are automatically raised and lowered in timed relation to the stopping and starting of the machine, as hereinafter described in detail. vIn the present illustrative disclosure, the roll 20 is carried by a pivoted frame or carrier comprising a pair of arms 22fixed to a rock shaft 23 journalled in brackets 36. The other pressure roll 21 is carried by a shaft 24, the ends or gudgeons of which extend into vertical slots provided in the arms 22. The rolls 20 and 21 are unsymmetrically positioned; that is to say, the roll 21 is positioned a greater distance from the vertical plane m-w through the center of the bat than is the roll 20.

As stated, the cages may be driven in any suitable manner. In the present instance, the machine is driven by a belt (not shown) passing about a pulley 30 loose on the shaft 11 which carries the cage B.

On the opposite end of this shaft is a gear 31 which, through an intermediate gear 32,

drives a gear 33 fixed to one end of the shaft 10 which carries the cage A. Thepulley 30 is adapted to be engaged and disengaged with the shaft by means of a clutch sleeve 34 whichis automatically controlled through a cam lever 35.

Means are provided for permitting adjustment of the pressure rolls so as to accommodate rolls of bats of various sizes. To this end, one of the arms 22 is adjustably connected to a lever or link 37 which is mounted on the shaft 23 for angular adjustment. One end of the lever 37 is pivotally connected to a yoke member 38. The adjustable connection between the arm and the lever 37 consists of a bolt 39 carried by the lever and extending through a slot 40 in the arm.

The numeral designates a cam shaft on which are mounted the instrumentalities for controlling the clutch sleeve 34, and `the movement of the arms 22 to and from operative position. This cam shaft is driven from the cage shaft 10 through the train of gears 46, 47, 48 and 49. The gear 49, which is fixed to the cam shaft, has, on its outer face, a projection or trip 50 which is adapted to engage a projection 51 on the cam lever to throw this lever in a directionl to disengage the clutch after the machine has been in operation for al predetermined time. Fixed to the cam shaft is a cam 55 which is adapted to engage a roller 56 on the lower end of the yoke 38 so asto raise the pressure rolls to the dotted line position shown` in Fig. 2 just before the trip 50 disengages the clutch 3 4.

A stream of hot water, dur-ing the running of the machine, is continuously supplied to the rolled up bats so as to keep the roll in a moist and hot condition.

To this end, there is provided a spray pipe 60 which is so located with respect to the cage A that the belt thereon will carry the water up to the bat, as at 61.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The bats are rolled up in the usual manner in a piece of burlap or flannel, that is, four to eight bats are laid one upon the other on the fiannel androlled up from tip to brim. The rolled assembly is plajced in the trough between the two cages in such position that, when the machine is in operation, the tendency will be to wind the assembly tighter. The clutch is now thrown in by operating the clutch lever 35 through the instrumentality of the handle 35Zt whereupon the cages will be driven, and the cam 55 will move out of engagement with the roller 56 so that the pressure rolls will move from the inoperative position shown in dotted lines to the operative position shown in full lines, Fig. 2: After a predetermined time, say after the machine has been running for twelve seconds with the cages rotating at 56 R. P. M., the cam 55 raises the pressure rolls, and then ,the trip 50 throws the clutch so as to stop the -machine The roll of bats is taken from the machine, unrolled, turned over bottom side up and 'again rolled up from tip to brim and the re-wound assembly is placed in the machine and the operation repeated, after which the bats are rolled from one side to the other and placed back in the machine and then operated upon. Next, the bats are turned over bottom side up and again rolled from lside to side and manipulated in the machine in this condition. The four operations, that is, two tips and two side rolls?'are called a round. The bats are now opened out fiat and each bat is crozed or folded at a different place and then the bats, which have been on the outside, are placed in the center, and the center bats are placed on the outside so as to make a new pile for the second round.

It may be said here that this same general practice of operating the bats in rounds7 is now usually employed in the hand method of hardening.

During the operation of the machine, the rods of the cages give the roll of bats a rapid punching motion; that is to say, a rod of one roll pushes the bat in one direction, then a rod of the other roll pushes it in the other direction, the succeeding rod of the first cage again pushes it in the first direction, and a succeeding rod of the second cage pushes it in the second direction, and so on. At the same time, the pressure rolls, riding on the top of the roll of bats, give an additional pressure and assist in the manipulation or working of the bats. As the cages are revolved,

preferably being .roll of bats revolving surface speed as that of the cages and withoutuniform manner.

the pressure of the roll of bats upon the aprons, augmented by the pressure of the 20 and 21 rolls, causes or forms in the aprons waves, so to speak, the crests of the waves being Where the aprons are supported by the rods B, and the troughs of the waves being between the rods. The bats roll into the troughs over the crests (or rods) and into the succeeding troughs. In effect, the waves form inclined planes leading up to the Working point or line, that is, to the crests, and inclined planes easing down from thesecrests. rIhe aprons are adapted to stretch in order that these waves may be formed and this stretch may extend to two or three rods each side of the Working point. In the formation of these waves, the belt slips over the rods and this slip is a continuous motion around the cage as each successive rod becomes a working point or line.

The action of elastic and gentle and avoids shoves and defective work. It is of advantage to have the aprons with knuckled surfaces, the knuckles in the form of pyramids, as these knuckles effect an additional amount of manipulation and felting action on the outside bats in the roll and aid in keeping the or rotating at the same slip. Also, the knuckles assist in winding the roll of bats into a tighterroll. The knuckled surface of the apron on the cage A will retain, more readily, the water supplied thereto from the spray pipe 6() and carry this water up against the bottom of the'roll, as at 6l, thus keeping the roll moist and hot at all times.

It Will further be observed that the machine will operate upon the rolls of bats in a As the machine is automatically controlled7 the length of time for the various operations is uniform; the pressure is uniform. and the moisture is uniformly supplied. Thus, the machine will operate p with uniformity with respect to the three essential requirements of haty felting, viz uniformity in moisture, pressure and motion. The arrangement of'the pressure rolls is also of particular advantage in that they are so arranged and mounted as to prevent the assembly of bats from working or moving out of the pocket between the cages. When the arms 22 are lowered, the roll 21 will come into engagement with the roll of bats first, and Will then raise in the slots 25 until the roll 2() also makes contact. f

Since the movements of the roll 21 are independent of the roll 20, and the roll 21 engages the roll of bats further down on one side thereof than does the roll 20 on the other side, the pressure' is so exerted upon the roll of bats as to effectively hold it in place. The cage A tends to move the roll of bats inthedirection in which the cage is rotating. Therefore, the

the machine is very smooth, A

betweenthem a roll roll 2l is so positioned as to be more or less directly in this line of movement and 'constitute interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover `all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a mattei' of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention l. In a machine of the character described, a pair of parallel cages adapted to support a roll of bats, each of said cages having spaced longitudinally extending apron supporting members, the supporting members of one cage being angularly spaced with respect to the supporting members of the other cage, a ilexible apron about each cage and supported by said members, and means for exerting pressure upon the roll of bats supported between said cages.

2. In a machine of the character described,

a pair of parallel cages arranged to support of bats, each of said cages comprising a pair of spaced heads and l0ngitudinally extending rods supportedby said heads, the rods of each cage being opposite the spaces between the rods of the other cage, an apron about each cage and supported by the rods thereof, and means adapted to bear upon the roll of bats supported between said cages.

3. In a machine of the character described, a pair of skeleton drums with parallel axes and positioned to support a roll of bats between them, each of said drums having longitudinally extending uniformly spaced apart apron supporting elements, the elements of each drum being opposite the spaces between the elements of the other drum, an elastic apron about each drum and supported by said elements, each of said aprons being arranged to slip or slide over said elements, and means for exerting pressure upon the roll of bats supported between said drums.

4. In a machine of the character described, a pair of cages with parallel axes and positioned to support a roll of bats between them, each of said cages having Iangularly spaced apart longitudinally extending apron supporting elements, the elements of each cage beingopposite the spaces between the elements of the other cage, a exible, stretchable lio apron supported for slipping movement by the elements of each cage, and means for supplying moisture to the roll of bats.

5. In a machine of the character described, a pair of cages with parallel axes arranged to form between them a pocket adapted to receive a roll of bats, each of said cages having a plurality of angularly spaced apart longitudinally extending apron supporting members, the members of each cage being opposite the spaces between the members of the other cage, and a flexible stretchable apron about each cage, each of said aprons having a knuckled surface adapted to engage the roll of bats supported by the cages.

6. In a machine of tlie character described, a pair of cages arranged to form between them a pocket adapted to receive a roll of bats to be manipulated, each of said cages having a plurality of angularly spaced apart apron supporting members, the members of each cage being opposite the spaces between the members of the other cage, and a flexible stretchable apron about each cage and supported by said members, each of said aprons having its outer surface yprovided with a multiplicity of pyramidal elastic kneading knuckles.

7. In a machine of the character described, a pair of-cages with parallel axes and arranged to form between them a pocket adapted to receive a roll of bats to be manipulated, each of said cages comprising a pair of spaced heads and a plurality of angularly spaced rods carried by said heads adjacent their peripheries, the rods of each cage being opposite the spaces between the rods of the other cage, means for rotating said cages in the same direction, and a flexible stretchable apron about each cage and supported by the rods thereof, said aprons being arranged to slide or slip over said rods and having their outer surfaces provided with a multiplicity of kneading knuckles.

8. In a machine of the character described, a pair of cages with parallel axes and arranged to provide a pocket between them adapted to receive a roll of bats to be operated upon, each of said cages having a plurality of angularly spaced apart longitudinally extending apron supporting members, an apron about each of said cages and supported by said members, said aprons having on their outer surfaces a multiplicity of kneading knuckles, and means for supplying water to the knuckled surface of one of said aprons at such position that said apron will carry the water up to the bats supported between the cages.

9. In a machine of the character described, a pair of cages with parallel axes and arranged to provide a pocket between them adapted to receive a roll of bats to be operated upon, said cages having angularly spaced apart members arranged to alternately push the roll of bats in opposite directions, a iexible stretchable apron about each cage andl supported by the members thereof, and a pair of pressure rolls supported for free vertical movelnent and arranged to bear upon the roll of bats supported between said cages.

l0. In a machine of the character dcscribed, a pair of cages with parallel axes and arranged to provide a pocket between them adapted to receive a roll of bats to be operated upon, said cages having angularly spaced apart members arranged to alternately push thc roll of bats in opposite directions, means for rotating said cages in the same direction, pressure means including a roll mounted for free vertical movement and arranged to engage the roll of bats in said pocket along one side thereof, said roll during the operation of the machine normally lying in that path along which said cages tend to move the roll of bats out. of said pocket, and means for guiding said pressure roll without bearing thereon.

11. In a machine of the character described, a pair of parallel cages adapted to support a roll of bats, each of said cages having spaced apart longitudinally extending apron supporting members, the supporting members of one cage being angularly spaced with respect to the supporting members of the other cage, a flexible stretchable apron about each cage and supported by said members thereof, a carrier, and a pressure roll having free vertical movement in said carrier and adapted to engage a roll of bats supported between said cages along a line spaced from the vertical plane passing centrally through the roll of bats, said pressure roll constituting a stop for preventing the roll of bats from moving from between said cages.

.12. In a machine of the character dcscribed, a pair of cages having parallel axes arranged to support a roll of bats, each of sai'd cages having circumferentially spaced apart longitudinally extending apron supporting members, the members of each cage being opposite the spaces between the inembers of the other cage, an elastic apron about each cage and slidably supported by the members thereof, and a pair of pressure rolls adapted to bear upon the roll of bats supported by said cages, one of said pressure rolls being spaced further from the vertical central planethrough the roll of bats than is the other roll.

13. In a machine of the character described, a pair of cages with parallel axes and positioned to support a roll of bats between them, each of said cages having uniformly and angularly spaced apart longitudinally extending apron supporting elements, the elcments of each cage being opposite the spaces between the elements of the other cage, a flexible stretchable apron about each cage,

liti

and a pair of pressure rolls adapted to bear upon the roll'of bats supported between said cages, the pressure roll about that cage which at its point of contact with the roll of bats is moving upwardly being arranged to engage the roll of bats on a line further down on the side of and further away from the vertical central plane of the roll of bats than the other pressure roll.

14. In a machine of the character 'described, a pair of cages with parallel axes and arranged to provide a pocket between them adapted to support a roll of bats to be operated upon, said cages having angularly spaced apart members arranged to alternately push the roll of bats in opposite directions, means for rotating said cages in the same direction, pressure rolls arranged to bear upon the bats, and automatic means for raising said rolls to inoperative position and stopping said cages after the machine has been operating a predetermined period of time.-

l5. ln a machine of the character described, a pair of cages adapted to support a roll of bats, each ol said cages having spaced apart longitudinally extending apron supporting members, the supporting members oi one cage being angularly spaced with respect to the supporting members oi the other cage, a ilexible apron about each cage and supported by said members, means lor exerting pressure upon the roll of bats supported between said ca "es, means including a clutch lor driving said cages in the same direction, means for raising said pressure means, and automatic means for controlling said clutch to stop the machine after a predetermined time and when said pressure means are in inoperative position.

16.In a machine of the character de.

scribed, a pair of cages with parallel axes and positioned to support a roll of bats between them, each of said cages having longitudinally extending spaced apart apron supporting elements, and an elastic apron about each cage and supported by said elements, each olin said aprons being arranged to slip or slide over said elements.

l?. ln a machine of the character 'described,a pair of cages with parallel axes and A positioned to support a roll of bats between them, each oil said cages having angularly spaced apart longitudinally extending apron supporting elements, a Henible apron supported for slipping movement by the elements oit each cage, means for exerting pressure upon the roll oi bats supported between said cages, and means il'or supplying moisture to the roll oil bats.

le.. lin a machine oli' the character described, a pair of cages with parallel anes aranged to iiorm between them a poclret adapted to receive a roll of bats, each of said cages having a plurality of angularly spaced apron `suplili llll 

